September Issue 2019

WHAT’S INSIDE

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4+5

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In the age of Juul, 1980s alumni rem- Get to know the new teachers and inisce about the smoking courtyard. staff on campus this school year.

Hubert Chen explores the nostalgia driving the Minecraft renaissance.

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Read about the reheasal process for the fall musical, “Mamma Mia!”

THE BURLINGAME B September 19 , 2019

theburlingameb.org

Issue 1 Vol. 125

Flex Time added to bell schedule PHOTO BY JACOB LUBARSKY

from 3:12 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. There have also been changes to lunchtime. Most notably, lunch started at 12:21 p.m. on Wednesdays last year. Now, Wednesday lunch will begin at 1:15 p.m.

“We worked with a couple different schedules, but at the end, we couldn’t figure out a better way to put in the late start, the brunch and the lunch,” Principal Paul Belzer said.

DANCE

SE

BACK-TO-SCHOOL

ATTENDANCE POLICY: This year, Burlingame implemented a new attendance policy for both excused and unexcused absences. In previous years, when a student was absent, a parent or guardian would call the attendance office to excuse their child.

Now, a parent must go to the school website and fill out the digital BHS Absence Reporting Form regardless of whether the absence would be excused. Similar to before, a parent has 48 hours to clear an absence. For students leaving early, the same protocol applies and the absence is instead reported as a request to leave school early.

Additionally, the administration has strengthened and clarified the tardy and truancy policy. Students can receive five tardies per period before needing to serve a detention. Students do not receive Friday Work Study until they have accumulated ten tardies, at which point they are added to the nosell list until the six week grading period ends. When a student reaches seven unexcused absences, considered truancies, they serve a detention, and it is not until they have 14 truancies that they need to attend Friday Work Study.

S N CL U I A N O SS O R R F IS 20 20 E

FRIDAY WORK STUDY: Friday Work Study is a disciplinary measure that acts as a middle ground between detention and suspension. Though it started in the middle of last year, Friday Work Study will now completely replace Saturday School, which was previously held from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Now, Friday Work Studies are held on Fridays from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

“It worked really well last year,” Juniors in Susan Marcan’s chemistry class complete homework and study during Flex Assistant Principal Valerie ArbiTime, the administration’s solution to low attendance during Office Hours last year. zu said. “[Friday Work Study] lingame staff, the Associated Stu- er monitored by a teacher so the was more effective than Saturday

BY AMELIA HARRIS and dent Body and the San Mateo school can keep a record of where school.”

JABOB LUBARSKY Union High School District, the students go during Flex Time. As Copy Editors school decided to place Office of now, students may only go to SIX-MINUTE PASSING PERIODS: Hours in the middle of the day classes they currently take.

FLEX TIME: Passing periods have been In previous years, Burlingame and change its name to “Flex lengthened from five minutes to used the Office Hours system, Time.” Flex Time lasts 41 min- SHORTENED CLASS TIMES: six minutes. The administration utes on Wednesdays after brunch As Flex Time takes 40 minutes in which students would finish hopes that with the additional their sixth period block classes on and 45 minutes on Thursdays after out of the school day, block peri- time during passing period, stuods are now shorter by 12 minutes Wednesdays at 2:29 p.m., then third period.

The new system requires that each. Regular classes on Monday, dents will be able to visit their have the option to visit any of lockers and use the bathroom raththeir teachers for assistance until each student remain in one class Tuesday and Friday have also been er than using classtime to do so.

3:15 p.m. Otherwise, they could throughout the whole period of trimmed by one minute. To fur“We were finding a lot of isFlex Time. Students must scan ther make up the time, the end leave school. sues with students who would After consideration from Bur- their school IDs on a comput- of the school day has been pushed

get to class and then needed to go use the bathroom,” Arbizu said.

“Some of our students reported difficulty with the number of kids in the hallway, with getting from one class to another. And so, it was like, okay, let’s see if we can solve two problems with one minute.”

News

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College Board moves AP test registration deadline to November

BY CAROLINE YEOW

Senior Reporter

The College Board has changed its registration deadline for the Advanced Placement (AP) tests from Mar. 15 to Nov. 15. The organization is also implementing a $40 late fee and a $40 cancellation fee in addition to the standard $99 registration fee.

On its website, the College Board assures students and parents that the early deadline will motivate students to study more diligently and “that commitment translates into more students taking the exam.”

During the new deadline’s pilot phase, the College Board “saw an increase in scores of 3 or higher across multiple groups.

Moving the time of registration made a difference across the board, but it had the strongest effect for students who are traditionally underrepresented in AP.” The newly implement-

ed November deadline has received criticism that it will cause conflict for students who are uncertain whether they will be taking an AP test or not.

“I know a lot of people don’t like it because it gives you less time to decide if you want to take an AP test. [Since] it’s the beginning of the course, ... you don’t know how well you’re doing in it,” junior Cherilyn Yu said.

With the earlier deadline, students have less time to decide whether they will take the AP test or not, which is a source of frustration among seniors in particular.

“Even when the deadline was in March, I still think the main concern was ... seniors, and, ‘Am I going to get credit at my college?’”

College and Career Center Advisor Jonathan Dhyne said. “[Overall they’re] changes that we’re all just kinda learning how to implement so … we are doing our best to hit our deadlines … make sure that everything is clearly communicated.”

GRAPHIC COURTESY OF COLLEGE BOARD

The pilot program for the new registration date reveals higher scores for traditionally underrepresented groups.

Leadership and ASB push full steam ahead

BY CLAIRE HUNT

Managing Editor

As the 2019 school year comes to a start, Leadership prepares for a year full of spirited activities and changes.

This year marks the second year of Nicole Carter’s advisory over Leadership, and already she has made significant changes to the program. From the modifications in the Panther Pal program to hosting the first Welcome Back Dance in years, Carter and Leadership are looking to make waves at Burlingame.

Senior Sunrise, a common tradition in high schools across the U.S., only made its way to Burlingame two years ago. Received by seniors with open arms, the tradition looks like it’s going to last. Leadership has also reinstituted the Welcome Back Dance,

which was a Burlingame custom decades ago, to celebrate the transition from summer vacation to the new school year. The Panther Ambassador program, previously known as BHS Buddies, has also changed significantly this year. After disappointing participation levels, Leadership altered the program to be more selective and interactive. Leadership will also be taking on the responsibility of throwing the homecoming dance, a job previously reserved for the cheerleading team.

“Expect there to be activities every Friday so we can get the school a little more involved,” Senior Class Coordinator Polina Zamalin said.

While specifics are still not concrete, leadership is looking for ways to engage student participation by installing a deeper sense of school spirit.

September 19, 2019

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Features

September 19, 2019

Patel helps the San Francisco homeless

Smoking pit is a memory of Burlingame’s changing times

Growing up in the Bay Area, senior Abhishek Patel has been familiar with the homelessness problem in Oakland and San Francisco for most of his life. In response, Patel decided to create an organizaPHOTO COURTESY OF ABHISHEK PATEL

PHOTO COURTESY OF BURLINGAME HIGH SCHOOL YEARBOOK

BY BEN NEUMAN Webmaster

Patel hands out food packages in Civic Center.

A yearbook photo from 1982 depicts students smoking on campus.

BY AMELIA HARRIS Senior Reporter It seems hard to imagine an era before the administration spent its time monitoring bathrooms and putting up anti-smoking signs, but 40 years ago Burlingame had a specifically designated student smoking area. Located behind the D building, students flocked there during brunch and lunch for smoking breaks.

Nancy Fraser, a member of the class of 1983, remembers the pit. While she did not smoke, she often frequented the smoking pit with friends who did. The amount of students in the pit at any given time varied from two to 20, according to Fraser. While there was no signage specifically advertising the smoking pit, its purpose was widely accepted around the campus. Old coffee cans served as ashtrays, though cigarette butts frequently littered the ground.

Don Crosatto, who graduated in 1980, recalls the presence of the smoking pit and its impact on the school atmosphere.

“One of [then Vice Principal

Vic Mangini’s] punishments, they called the Vic Stick, and it was basically a stick with a bent nail on the end of it and you had to

“The parking lot area was not far ... so kids would go to their cars and blast the radio.”

Nancy Fraser

take that and pick up cigarette butts and other loose pieces of paper on campus,” Crosatto said.

At the time, Burlingame had an open campus, and students would also smoke in Washington Park as well as the parking lot near the current Peninsula Tennis Club. Even with the smoking pit, students still smoked in bathrooms, though it was not as prolific a problem as it is today.

“The parking lot area was not far … so kids would go out to their cars and blast the radio,” Fraser said.

The legal smoking age in California was 16 until 1987, when it was raised to 18. Cigarettes had already been established as a health risk, and Paula Crosatto, who graduated from Burlingame in 1984, remembers learning about the effects of smoking in health class. Even so, the Burlingame administration remained apparently nonchalant in regards to the smoking pit.

“I just cannot imagine today there being something like this… there was definitely a push not to smoke but I can’t remember the administration ever talking about it,” Ms. Crosatto said.

tion to help alleviate the hardships of living without a home.

“When I was younger I saw that there were a lot of homeless communities that needed help, so I wanted to contribute,” Patel said.

Patel founded the Homeless Benefactors Coalition during his junior year with the main goal of understanding and helping the homeless community of San Francisco. Patel has spent weekends in San Francisco interacting with people living on the streets.

“Every time that I am able to [give to the community] in any way possible it feels amazing. And it’s also good to see the homeless community benefit,” Patel said.

Patel led the first club event in December 2018. He, along with other members, traveled to the Tenderloin and Civic Center neighborhoods and handed out waterproof sleeping bags and care packages while talking to the homeless community. Ever since then, Patel and his peers have been able to carry out multiple events of a similar nature through outside donations in different locations throughout the Bay Area. Patel plans to continue this community service in the future.

“I know there are homeless communities all around the world, so wherever I go, I would like to contribute to the efforts in that area,” Patel said.

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Features

September 19, 2019

NEW BHS

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EARVIN BUCKNER

COUNSELING

Earvin Buckner is one of the newest members of the Burlingame staff. His own high school counselor inspired him to become a counselor, as well.

“I thought to myself, ‘That is something I want to do when I’m on the other side: helping other students,’” Buckner said.

AIDAN O’SULLIVAN | Senior Reporter

ENGLISH ETHAN GARDNER | Sports Editor

MARY DHYNE Mary Dhyne will be teaching freshman and junior English this year.

Before coming to Burlingame, she taught at Mount Diablo High School in Concord for seven years. Her husband, Jonathan Dhyne, also works on campus as the College & Career Center advisor.

“I like how engaged [the students] are,” Ms. Dhyne said. “I’m really sensing a strong community here between staff and students.”

JENNIFER FELDIS

MATH

Jennifer Feldis will be teaching Geometry and Finite Math this year at Burlingame. Her career has always had a strong emphasis on math, as she worked at Sequoia High School as an Algebra II and Trigonometry teacher, and before that she worked as a professional tutor for all levels of math. Feldis is passionate about teaching, and is ready to take on new challenges at BHS. “What I love most about teaching is the process of guiding students to their ‘aha’ moments. I love introducing new concepts to students, and making learning math fun.”

WORLD LANGUAGE

SARA CHAMBERLIN Sara Chamberlin is one of the newest members of the Burlingame High School staff, teaching multiple levels of Spanish and Italian. Since 2002, Chamberlin has been teaching various levels of education varying from preschool to high school.

“I took this opportunity to come to Burlingame High School because you have the best Italian program in the Bay Area thanks to Signora Antonella, who is wellknown in the Italian community and at the Italian Consulate,” Chamberlin said.

AIDAN O’SULLIVAN | Senior Reporter

LEILANI LEON

Starting this year, Leilani Leon is an instructional aide for special education. Leon graduated from San José State University this May and hopes to eventually become a high school counselor.

“It’s exciting to know that as a teacher, you contribute to [students’] future[s] and help them succeed in any way possible,” Leon said.

She is eager to gain experience and work toward achieving her professional goals.

INSTRUCTIONAL

AIDE

ELLIOT SKILLINGS

Staff Reporter

INSTRUCTIONAL NICOLE FASSINA

Staff Reporter

A I D E

ANGELICA LAXA

After working as an accountant at AT&T for over 30 years, instructional aide Angelica Laxa decided to shift to working in schools, joining the San Mateo Union High School District on a part-time basis. She has filled multiple roles, including assistant to the principal, substitute teacher and student aide at schools across the district. Laxa loves to help the school succeed across the board.

“My favorite part about working here is being able to assist both the teachers and students,” Laxa said.

ELIZABETH TSACHRES Part-time health teacher Elizabeth Tsachres is back at Burlingame where she previously taught as a substitute and later as an student teacher for health. She has been teaching in the classroom for five years and has a background in psychology.

“I focus on prevention rather than putting out fires,” Tsachres said.

Tsachres finds that her passions for psychology and health are connected to our health curriculum, which she enjoys teaching.

SCIENCE AIDEEN DELAHUNT | Staff Reporter

ETHAN GARDNER | Sports Editor

HEALTH ALEXIA GOLDSTEIN | Staff Reporter

KAREN HARTMANN Karen Hartmann, a new science teacher, noted that all of her students are not only “very high achieving” but also full of school spirit.

Hartmann attended the University of California, San Diego, to get her undergraduate degree in cognitive science and has been teaching science for a decade. Outside of work, she’s always loved dance, and is also caring for her newborn child.

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Features

September 19, 2019

FA C U LT Y

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TRACI KREPPEL

COUNSELING

From math teacher to counselor, Traci Kreppel feels optimistic about her professional transition after teaching math for 22 years.

“What I really liked was talking with students and helping them everyday,” Kreppel said. “I’ll miss that connection with students.”

Kreppel’s unique experience allows her to bridge the gap between students and the counseling department.

RACHEL YAP | Design Editor

SHAWN JOHNSON

Instructional aide Shawn Johnson is taking a gap year at Skyline College to explore his passion for teaching and helping students reach their full potential here at Burlingame. “ [It’s] rewarding to see when someone gets like a concept that they were struggling with,” Johnson said. “It’s like you kind of see the light in their eyes when they finally understand it.”

He looks forward to immersing himself in the Burlingame community and helping students achieve great things.

BAND CONNER LYONS | Staff Reporter

INSTRUCTIONAL ELLIOT SKILLINGS

Staff Reporter

AIDE

K Y O T O Y A M A M OT O

The new band teacher, Kyoko Yamamoto, is ready to transform the Burlingame High School band. She is coming from Burlingame Intermediate SchoolIS, the local middle school here in burlingame, where she also taught band. Yamamoto is ecstatic to start a new chapter of her teaching career.

“My dream was to be a hHigh sSchool music teacher,.” Yamamoto said. “ Since I have been in the Burlingame community for many years, it was a dream come true.!” Yamamoto said. The Burlingame Band is certainly in good hands with Kyoko Yamamoto.

MARC MARTIN

INSTRUCTIONAL

Marc Martin is a new instructional aide at Burlingame. He previously worked in sales and is currently studying for his undergraduate degree in education.

“I am applying to be a special education teacher intern,” Martin said.

He also loves watching movies, taking his dog to the beach and hiking.

ENGLISH SAMANTHA JOHNSTONE | Staff Reporter

ALLISON COHEN

Staff Reporter

C O U R T N E Y PA Z I N Courtney Pazin graduated from Burlingame High School in 2010, and she is back to teach her favorite subject, English.

“I’ve always felt like a Panther; I still have a Panther heart,’’ she replied.

Ms. Pazin, having once been in the student’s seats, hopes to encourage the freshmen to explore and fall in love with English.

REBECCA ZIELKOWSKI

MATH

Algebra and Integrated Math teacher Rebecca Zielkowski was ready to teach an older age group coming from Dartmouth Middle School in San José, and Burlingame proved to be the right fit for her. Zielkowski has always had a passion for mathematics, as it has been something that has brought her joy.

“I love math; it always made sense to me,” Zielkowski said. “It brings everything full circle.”

ELLIOT SKILLINGS | Staff Reporter

CAMPUS SECURITY

ERNESTO NÚÑEZ

JAMES UNDERWOOD

SPECIAL EDUCATION

CONNER LYONS | Staff Reporter

After working at Abbott Middle School in San Mateo for the last three years, James Underwood decided to try teaching high school students and is now working at Burlingame as a special education teacher.

“I needed a new challenge and a change in my career,” Underwood said.

Underwood enjoys surfing, water sports, snow sports, cycling and orienteering in his free time.

A I D E

Over the last four years, Ernesto Núñez has been an aide at Burlingame, but this year, he has transitioned to the campus security position. As part of campus security, Núñez has had the opportunity to bond with staff members he never had the chance to as an aide.

“It has been a much smoother transition than you probably think,” Núñez said. “I am excited to interact with more staff members now that I will be around campus more this year.”

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ALLISON COHEN | Staff Reporter

DESIGN BY RACHEL YAP

CALIFORNIA HEALTHY KIDS SURVEY

2 018 - 2 019 RE S ULTS

30

25

20

SAN MATEO

MILLS

HILLSDALE

CAPUCHINO

5

ARAGON

10

BURLINGAME

15

Current Alcohol/Drug Use, Past 30 Days

Current Binge Drinking, Past 30 Days

Current Electronic Cigarette Use, Past 30 Days

S M U H S D D I S T R I C T - W I D E R E S U LT S PERCENTAGE OF RESPONDENTS

S C HOOL -WIDE RESULTS

PERCENTAGE OF RESPONDENTS

35

10

20

30

40

Feeling Safe or Very Safe at School by Race/ Ethnicity

60

70

80

90

Hispanic/Latinx Asian White Mixed (two or more) races

Mental Health

Chronic sad or hopeless feelings, past 12 months

50

Female Male

CONTEXT The California Healthy Kids Survey has traditionally been administered to freshmen and juniors in California public schools every other year to gauge campus culture and student experiences. However, starting two years ago, all Burlingame students take the survey every year. Last year the survey was given on Positive Campus Culture Day, during which no classes were held. Attendance was consequently low, especially for upperclassmen. In these graphs, we compare the 2018-2019 juniors at Burlingame to those attending other district schools, and we also make intra-school comparisons. Although all grades now take the survey, fresh-

men and juniors take the complete version, while sophomores and seniors take a slightly shortened variation. The other detail to note is that Native American/Alaska Native and Black students are not represented in the intra-school race comparison graph because there are not enough students of those demographics to serve as a data pool. Additionally, we did not include Middle College or Peninsula in our district comparisons because they have different purposes than the standard, fouryear public high schools in our district and therefore cannot be accurately compared to Burlingame.

D E S I G N BY R AC H E L YA P

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Opinion

Editorial

BY THE BURLINGAME B EDITORIAL BOARD On Aug. 5, our school was tagged by a slew of bigoted graffiti.

We wish we could say this was an isolated incident. We wish we could say we were surprised when we came to school that morning and saw large trash bags censoring the offensive messages that defaced our school. Of course we were shocked and appalled, but we weren’t surprised.

After all, we’ve been here before.

Through a large part of the past century, Burlingame was a sundown town, meaning that all people of color had to leave by nightfall. In an interview with The Burlingame B two years ago, former campus safety specialist Randy Williams remembered growing up black in San Mateo

and being unable to go to Burlingame Avenue alone as a child for fear of harassment. Judging by the events at this school, bigoted attitudes are alive and well. Just in the past two years, we have gone through three major incidents as well as thousands of less public instances of slur usage and microaggressions that happen every day.

During the 2017-2018 school year, Burlingame students chanted anti-Asian insults at a basketball game against Mills, a school where 59% of the student body is of Asian decent. The following year, junior Ilan Rosenbaum’s locker was vandalized with anti-Semitic and homophobic rhetoric. Afterwards, the school body barely talked about the occurrence.

Besides an article by The Burlingame B and another by the Jewish News of Northern California, no other mentions of the hate crime

show up online. And now, barely a semester later, we are faced with another instance of discriminatory vandalism: racist, anti-Semitic and homophobic graffiti spread all over our campus in one night.

At this point, no one is surprised—especially not students of color, Jewish students or LGBTQ+ students.

After the Mills incident, many Asian students were mad, but unvexed. To them, it was simply a public example of what they faced everyday. The events of Aug. 5 were met with a similar sentiment.

Many of the people who belonged to the targeted groups felt that this most recent display of bigotted ideas was par for the course. Some were even surprised to see so many people shocked about the vandalism. The words that received so much attention when spray painted on our school walls were the

September 19, 2019

Students participate in BHS Unite Aainst Hate event same words they heard everyday in the hallways, the same words that had been thrown around countless times without notice.

Just to be clear, we are not downplaying the significance of this recent incident. We are not saying that our school is racist nor are we advocating giving up. By bringing up our past, we are not attempting to deni-

Welcome Back Panthers!

THE BURLINGAME B STAFF Teacher Adviser: Melissa Murphy

Sports Editor: Ethan Gardner

Editor-in-Chief: Tekla Carlen

Chief Photographer: Hanna Sato

Managing Editor: Claire Hunt

Copy Editors: Amelia Harris Jacob Lubarsky

Design Editor: Rachel Yap Business Manager: Moya Liu Webmaster: Ben Neuman

Staff Reporters: Allison Cohen Aideen Delahunt Alexia Goldstein Sam Johnstone Conner Lyons Elliot Skillings Nicole Fessina

Senior Reporters: Hubert Chen Mark Habelt Aidan O’Sullivan Allison Szetu Caroline Yeow

Policy Statement: The Burlingame B is a student-run newspaper with the sole purpose of providing an open forum for student expression. Anything printed represents the opinion of the writer, but not necessarily that of the The Burlingame B staff, the administration or faculty of Burlingame High School, or any person affiliated with the San Mateo Union High School District. The Burlingame B does not discriminate against race, political orientation, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or disability. Although The Burlingame B will never refuse to publish guest submission based on the aforementioned factors, we reserve the right to edit or not publish them.

Letters to the Editor:

Disagree with the writers? Bring your letters to the room A120 or email them to <theburlingameb@gmail.com>. Letters may be considered for publication. The Burlingame B reserves the right to edit for clarity, length and accuracy. We welcome all comments.

BY TEKLA CARLEN AND CLAIRE HUNT Editor-in-Chief and Managing Editor

Welcome back! For those of you who set foot on campus for the first time this August, an especially warm welcome to you. As the editors of the B, we know that you probably have your hands full juggling your academic, athletic and extracurricular attachments.

We hope that you enjoy this school year and that you take a break every now and then to realize you are a part of something incredibly important. These are the days that you will never forget—the days that will shape you into who you are and who you will become. We hope that you will stay up to date

on the news as much as you can.

Whether in the community or nationwide, every story matters.

As you probably all know, we started this year off on an unfortunate note. The hateful vandalism that took place on campus earlier this month shocked and horrified all of us. These are difficult conversations to have, but we, as a publication, strive to report the hard facts. Immediately after this incident, our group of journalists got straight to work to document exactly what happened.

We received some criticism that, by documenting the hate, we were giving the criminals exactly what they wanted—attention. To this, we would like to respond that our duty as journalists is to cover the news. If we, as a community, had tried to sweep this incident

grate our school and community. We’re just speaking our truth.

We do have a history of bigotry, and to ignore that fact would be to feed into the culture that perpetuates it. To ignore our history and pass these incidents off as uncontrollable individual acts would be to disregard the experiences of so many of our community members who know - and live - the truth.

under the rug, we would simply have exacerbated the deeper issue at hand. After all, no societal plague will be resolved through silence.

We hope that we do not have to cover any more such events this year, but rest assured that we will if they occur. We know that our community has so much to be proud of, and this incident should be held as the exception rather than the rule.

We’ll leave you on this one last note. We know that you are all incredibly busy and have rich lives to lead, but we hope that you take just a little bit of time out of your day to read the news. Freedom of the press is one of our First Amendment rights for a reason: it is vital to a healthy democracy.

Stay educated and stay informed.

Opinion

September 19, 2019

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Minecraft: the game that respawned PHOTO BY HUBERT CHEN

BY HUBERT CHEN

Senior Reporter

Mojang first released the game Minecraft over ten years ago. At first small and inconspicuous, Minecraft quickly rushed to the top of the video game charts. Since then, the game has grown into the greatest video game of all time. The first spike in Minecraft popularity occurred during the years following its release, peaking in popularity around 2013. This “golden age” of Minecraft marked the years that many players created their accounts and began their exploration of its blocky worlds. It marked the rise of famous Minecraft YouTubers such as SkyDoesMinecraft, Captainsparklez and JeromeASF. More than that, it marked the beginning of a legendary game.

However, as time moved on, so did the Minecraft fan base.

Minecraft’s popularity dwindled as players moved to other games such as Fortnite and Overwatch.

During this decline in popularity, the game remained relatively the same with the exception of Mojang being bought by Microsoft.

This decrease in playership seemed to be the end of Minecraft, until recently. 2019 saw the return of many Minecraft players back to their blocky worlds, a renewal in popularity seldom seen in the gaming world.

When one plays Minecraft for the first time, they see an endless world filled with cubes. The game provides no instructions and no end goal. With their imagination as their only tool, players must create their own purpose and goals. This is what makes this game so great.

“I imagine that a large reason we don’t see a similar resurgence in other games is because they don’t have much of a creative aspect and people won’t feel as inclined to return to those games,” sophomore Ingi Helgason said.

College Board translate

BY HUBERT CHEN

Senior Reporter

Minecraft city “42” was built by Burlingame and San Mateo students from 2012-2015 , the “golden age” of Minecraft on an online server called The Tenth Planet.

Since players must create their own goals, their in-game creations feel more personal to them and enhance feelings of nostalgia when returning to the game.

Another large aspect of the Minecraft community are the many popular YouTubers who are now returning to the game. YouTubers such as PewDiePie, with over 100

“I imagine that a large reason we don’t see a similar resurgence in other games is because they don’t have much of a creative aspect”

Ingi Helgason million subscribers, can now be seen uploading Minecraft videos reaching millions of viewers per video. Even YouTube channels with no previous relationship to Minecraft are taking part in the Minecraft renaissance. Due to requests from the online community, Keemstar, a Youtuber who hosted a weekly competition Fortnite

Friday, began hosting Minecraft Monday, a competition where popular YouTubers compete in Minecraft minigames for a prize of $10,000. This event has drawn in popular YouTubers outside of the Minecraft community such as Fortnite gamer Ninja and makeup guru James Charles to participate, further spreading the Minecraft resurgence across the internet.

“I think the revitalization of Minecraft has to do with seeing popular YouTubers play it again,” Helgason said.

To further fuel the Minecraft renaissance, old YouTube videos such as CaptainSparkelz’s 2011 “Revenge,” a Minecraft parody of Usher’s “DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love,” have recently been reborn as a popular internet meme, spreading the beginning song lyrics “creeper, aw man.”

Despite the spike in popularity, Minecraft will inevitably fall again just as it did back in 2014. However, its unique creative gameplay and large community will ensure that it will remain relevant in the gaming world. Even if its popularity dwindles again, there is nothing stopping it from making yet another comeback in the years to come.

Fashion is conformity, but also comfort

BY CAROLINE YEOW

Senior Reporter

“You’re so basic.”

Immediately, Vans, scrunchies and ripped jeans come to mind. At least for a teenager.

Our country hasn’t always stood for self expression. For a long time conformity was the way of life, and those who lived outside the box were chastised. Now, however, it seems like the tables have turned, and those who decide to live within the lines are the ones who receive the most judgement.

The expansion of social media in recent years has established an exaggerated culture of trend-following in our society. Now, conformity and assimilation are discouraged. Being trendy and following fads is mocked. But, if our society truly stood for self-expression, it shouldn’t be.

Similar styles are immediately labeled as “basic” or as an attempt to be a copycat. There is a negative connotation to following trends and dressing like others. This connotation is derived from the widely-held notion that a homogenized style among teenagers is caused by their fear to stand out. After all, following peer behavior is a surefire method to avoid embarrassment and negative attention. Conformity is security. At least, that’s the argument.

In reality, there is no reason that a uniform style should be viewed negatively. Forcing a ‘standard of individuality’ is hypocritical, as it is simply an extension of an antiquated culture of conformity. To dictate how one should dress, and to shame someone for being too “unique” or too “basic” simply adds an extra level of stress to their lives, something that no teenager needs.

In such a chaotic, high-stress and tumultuous environment like high school, dressing the same is a constant. It’s something that everyone can relate to. The new “VSCO girl” trend, characterized by hydroflasks and shell necklaces, is a prime example. People find enjoyment in matching their water bottles and hair ties to their friends’. Being “basic” is fun and it allows people to find commonalities in each other.

“While style is ultimately a personal choice, it also projects a certain image to others, which causes people to make judgements, conscious or not, about our identities. Thus, even when conforming to certain fashion trends, individuals will be judged on what they wear,” junior Kendal Wang said.

Fear of judgement does influence our generation’s style, but it plays a significantly smaller role than those who claim “teens conform because of fear” would have us believe. Ultimately, comfort has a bigger role in style than fear. When people pick their clothes out in the morning, their main objective is to choose something that makes them feel good, rather than something that will make them fit in. Often, the significance of clothing is exaggerated. People aren’t worrying about fitting in. They just see what’s around them and think, “hey, that looks cool; I should try it.”

“As my personality and style have changed and developed, I’ve become much more confident. Then again, there are times where I’ll worry about how a certain outfit might be perceived by others, but I’d rather have this fear than be unauthentic,” Wang said.

If wearing a rainbow-colored feather hat makes you feel good, then go for it. If wearing ripped jeans and a cropped t-shirt is your style, that’s great too. Ultimately, the clothing you wear does not determine how individualistic you are. You do you.

Sports

10 PHOTO BY HANNA SATO

Girls water polo aims to retake their place in the Bay Division

BY HANNA SATO

Chief Photographer

Senior Alyssa Archie prepares to pass the ball to another teammate.

September 19, 2019

Following their demotion to the Peninsula Athletic League Ocean Division, the girls water polo team is determined to regain their position in the Bay Division.

This season, seniors Namiha Yasuda and Alyssa Archie are the varsity captains, while sophomores Sofia Sodini and Elle Guglielmi are in charge of the junior varsity team.

The team faces logistical setbacks as the Burlingame pool remains under construction, meaning they have to share pools with Aragon’s water polo team.

“We have not been able to have enough in-water practice time because of the pool being under construction. Instead, we have more weight room training or dry land practice, which is less effective,” Yasuda said. “But despite not having a pool, I hope we can win more games this season because we have a lot of talented players and the team is closer than last year.”

As a senior, Yasuda reflects on impact participating in a team sport has brought to her high school experience.

“We went through the struggle of not having a pool togeth-

er, drowning together in the pool and winning games together as a team” Yasuda said.

Yasuda and Archie plan to continually improve the team dynamic and communications.

“Even if you’re a skilled player, if you’re unable to communicate well with other teammates, you wouldn’t be able to win.

When you and your team work together, you have more chances of winning,” Yasuda said.

So far, the team has already experienced success, winning their first game 17 - 0 on Sept. 10 against Capuchino High School.

PHOTO BY TYLER IDEMA

Boys water polo bounces back

early loss to Woodside, beating out Carlmont 14-12 on Sept. 9.

Senior Reporter “We pulled through, the bench got up, and it was a team After losing eight seniors last victory, I’d say,” Rossi said. year, the water polo team has someOn Sept.

11, the Panthers thing to prove going into this season.

“It is a bummer [that] we lost a took on Mills in which they lost lot of seniors from the years prior by a score of 7-5. After losing, the and a lot from our starting lineup, Panthers were sitting at a 1-2 reso it’s gotten a little bit tough- cord on the season. Last year, the er from before. A lot of younger senior-run water polo team went guys got to pick up the slack,” 7-7 on the season, so if the Pansenior starter Mason Rossi said. thers wanted to have a chance to Water polo started off the sea- repeat or exceed the record from son with a 12-3 loss against Wood- last year, they needed a strong side in a neutral tournament game. start. The Panthers took on HillsWhile it wasn’t the start that the dale over the weekend where they team wanted, it was definitely part won with a score of 14-6, putting of the learning curve for the un- the Panthers at a solid 2-2 rederclassmen who are still getting cord. The Panthers will now preused to starting roles on the team. pare for a matchup against a Half Rossi, the lone senior on the team, Moon Bay team that already has thinks that the games will run more two losses against Saratoga and smoothly as the year progresses. Gunn. If the Panthers can pull “I think that working togeth- out a win against Half Moon Bay, er comes over time, and I think they’ll have a lot of momentum heading into a revenge matchup The guys are tackling other that’s a problem for aeach lot of the here. younger guys; they need to get against Woodside after losing 12-3 used to a lot of the mindsets of all in their first game of the season. of the other players,” Rossi said.

With that said, the Panthers ended up bouncing back after their

BY TYLER IDEMA

CROSS COUNTRY

BY HUBERT CHEN

Senior Reporter

PHOTO BY TYLER IDEMA

The cross country team has been hard at work preparing for the new season. Despite the loss of several seniors, including cross country and track runners Paulo Puzon and Ryan Lowe, the Panthers are confident in their team’s future.

“The team hasn’t changed that much due to Coach Obie, who is a beloved figure of the team,” junior Aaron Becker said. “We have a relatively large group of seniors who have all been training since the end

of the track season. In addition to the more experienced members, we also have a bunch of new members who have been enjoying practice and show a lot of promise.”

The Panthers train on the Burlingame track, around the nearby neighborhood and at Hallmark Park, a 2.95-mile course that winds through the rolling hills of Belmont.

They ran their first meet on Sept.

17 at Half Moon Bay Highschool, which was used as an indication of individual progress in preparation for more important meets.

New coaches are making all the difference for cheerleaders

PHOTO BY CLAIRE HUNT

Senior Tyler Alhorn is being propped up by two juniors during a stunt

BY NICOLE FASSINA

Staff Reporter

Juniors Donna Dougherty and Jessica Masterson run in Washington Park during practice.

The cheer squad started the season off strong under close supervision of new varsity coaches Lessandro de Sousa and Kim Tatemichi, who replaced coach Lynn Currie. Coming in strong to improve the team’s techniques, de Sousa and Tatemichi aim to improve the team dynamic and create a successful season.

“Kim and Lessandro are a great team and work well with us to practice what we want and need to,” senior Julia Doherty said.

“Also, they’ve added a conditioning aspect to cheer, which I really like because I think it’s really important for us to be in great shape.”

According to other members of the cheer squad, the new coaches seem to be making progress, and the team is happy with their improvements so far.

“I feel like our music and cheers have improved a lot.

We hope to do more advanced stunts later in the year, so we are working on our technique a lot more,” senior Isabella Tabora said.

The cheer squad aimed to impress with their performance

during the Welcome Back Rally, showing off their new tactics and choreography, proving that the shift in leadership has improved the team performance.

“I really like both of our new coaches, especially our main coach Lessandro. He has a lot of experience with cheer and different techniques,” senior Julianna Shaffer said. “[de Sousa and Tatemichi] push us a step further until we accomplish our goal.”

With new coaches adding improvement and newer techniques, the cheer squad is excited for what is in store this season.

Sports

September 19, 2019

11 PHOTO BY ALLISON SZETU

CROWDED ON THE COURT

BY ALLISON SZETU

Senior Reporter

The Burlingame tennis courts only fit 32 people comfortably. With 63 players, the girls tennis team has had to switch their practices and consolidate their courts.

There were only 52 players last year, but there are more people due to the addition of freshmen and transfer students.

“We have an inordinate number of players for the number of courts we

have,” coach Bill Smith said.

Some of the team members have expressed concern over the lack of courts when junior varsity and varsity play together. Varsity practices from four days a week, and junior varsity practices for two. They practice together on Tuesdays and Thursdays, which is when the courts are most overcrowded.

“There are too many players for too few courts, and varsity doesn’t always have a chance to play constant matches, which makes it difficult for us,” ju-

nior Elisabeth Weimar said.

On the other hand, some players are not worried about the abundance of people on the court “I actually think our team is going to do better this year,” junior Vedika Bhaumik said.

Even though Smith acknowledges the surplus of players, he remains optimistic. So far, the tennis team has won against Woodside 6-1 and Castelleja 5-2.

“Bigger is better this year,” Smith said.

Despite increased tennis enrollment, both levels practice together on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Junior Vedika Bhaumik swings her racket at a tennis ball at practice.

PHOTO BY BEN NEUMAN

FOOTBALL LOOKS TO BUILD OFF ROUGH START

BY BEN NEUMAN

Web Editor

After a strong season last year, the Burlingame football team is already looking shaky with their move up to the Bay Division. Despite their 0-2 start to the season following losses to Live Oak and Half Moon Bay by scores of 1622 and 26-45 respectively, the team hopes to return to last year’s dominant form.

With a stretch of five gentler matchups such as Aragon and Watsonville in the upcoming weeks, the Panthers

BY ALLISON COHEN

Staff Reporter

The girls varsity golf team is off to a rocky start after losing four of their first five matches, but remains optimistic about this season. With only seven players on the team, each person must be a significant and active team member.

“We have to play in a lot more matches, but we’ve become a lot closer,” junior Melanie Gordon said.

Starting her second year on the team, Gordon is a newer player, but has already seen improvement from her and her teammates. The team bonds

outside of games by sharing food at the Poplar Creek golf course.

“My favorite part about golf is meeting...players from different schools and getting to know them,” said Gordon.

Golf offers a unique experience unlike other Burlingame athletic programs. Golf players on opposing teams have the opportunity to become acquainted with each other and become friends as they talk through matches that can last up to three hours.

Additionally, coaches across schools form friendships with their competing coaches. At the match on Sept. 9, Burlin-

game coach Joe Dito could be seen chatting with San Mateo coach Jimmy Ikeda while their teams competed. The two are good friends and discuss their teams’ seasons and statistics throughout their matches.

The golf team is five matches into their 15 match season.

Last year, now-senior Jody Chui finished second in the PAL tournament. Chui has continued her success on the team, and has consistently led the team in scores in every match thus far. She hopes to have another strong season and potential PAL appearance.

absence of last year’s stars, Dylan Neely, Noah Lavulo and Youcef Benchora. Fortunately for the team, those in the spotlight are ready to step up; among these players is senior cornerback Ted Ryan.

“Everything is way more serious. We don’t have any weeks this season that we can take off. We know that every team is going to be legit,” Ryan said.

For now, the Panthers are ready to put their start behind them and prove that they are truly cut out for Bay Division competition.

PHOTO BY ALLISON COHEN

GOLF STARTS NEW SEASON

strive to get their record into positive territory. Following these games, the Panthers will face football powerhouses in Menlo-Atherton and Sacred Heart Preparatory during back-to-back weeks.

“We are just going to have to go in with a mindset that we are just as good as them, if not better, and we can win every game that we play,” senior linebacker Leo Epstein said.

The team hopes to ride a strong run game and a solid secondary through a difficult schedule this year. The defense has big footsteps to fill in the

September 19, 2019

STUDENT

LIFE

“Mamma Mia” coming soon

BY TEKLA CARLEN

Editor-in-Chief

Boatloads of 70s nostalgia, enough camp to outshine even the best-dressed of Met Gala attendees, and three men who should definitely take a paternity test. The ABBA-based musical “Mamma Mia!” premieres at Burlingame this October, directed

by Cindy Skelton with choreography by Jim Ambler and vocal direction by Shawn Reifschneider.

The work began with auditions the second week of school.

Prospective cast members had to prepare a fitting song and learn a

Burlingame implements Buddy program revamp

BY ETHAN GARDNER

Sports Editor

The Burlingame Panther Pal program, formerly known as the Buddies program, implemented a series of changes in order to better accommodate the needs of incoming freshmen. With an added emphasis on community and student involvement, the new system hopes to create a community where freshmen feel more comfortable talking to the upperclassmen.

“We need to let the freshmen know that we’re there

for them,” Buddies Advisor Nicole Carter said.

In addition to this, the new Panther Pal program reduced the number of ambassadors to create a more genuinely dedicated group. Last year, the Buddies program included nearly 200 juniors and seniors, while this year the number has been reduced to the Leadership and Service Commission classes, as well as about 30 other accepted applicants.

“There’s already been a drastic difference in seeing them being more engaged and connected, but we still have

some work to do,” Carter said.

Following feedback from last year’s freshmen, the Panther Pal program has instituted a series of other new changes.

Events will now take place on the front lawn, where everyone can participate together.

This will allow freshmen to hang out with their friends while still enjoying the fun and games of Panther Pal activities, rather than being split into classrooms. Also, activities will be more focused on helping freshmen get accustomed to high school life, including a finals study session in early De-

cember and other seasonal activities.

Senior Lucas Gilmour, the Associated Student Body president, expressed optimism for the future of the program.

“The goal for this year is to have a more personal connection between underclassmen and upperclassmen, where [freshmen] can have a mentor that is easy to communicate with,” Gilmour said.

Student volunteers strive to boost school spirit as mascots

BY HANNA SATO

12

Chief Photographer An integral part of every game and rally, spirit is one of the most important factors in creating a school community. At Burlingame, spirit is personified in its mascot, the panther.

Over the years, many students have been able to acts as the school mascot for the day. As the mascot, they are expected to help encourage participation in events and lead students in cheering on their peers and athletes.

Seniors Alana Howley and Gina Dempsey are two of the few students who have volunteered to fulfill the role of mascot. Howley wore the costume during freshman orientation and plans to wear it to future rallies and spirit days.

Although often overlooked, school spirit plays a large role in the lives of students and how they fit into the community.

“It makes students feel welcomed into the community, which is a big thing for freshmen,” freshman Madeline Hua said. “There is definitely a lot more enthusiasm and participation in school events at BHS compared to in middle school, which I think is really great.”

Howley and Dempsey exemplify this behavior and enthusiasm for the representing panther pride and school appreciation.

“Every spirit day you can always count on Gina and I to go all out,” Howley said.

Since becoming a mascot, Dempsey describes how the spiritedness she and Howley have can also be reflected throughout the student body.

“You can really see just how spirited the school is from our point of view,” Dempsey said.

These volunteers strive to make every student feel as though they are a part of the Burlingame community by keeping spirits high during game and rally days throughout the year. Above all, they aim to make everyone feel proud to be a panther.

“The suits give you almost supernatural powers,” Howley said. “You can walk up to anybody and they are down to dance with the panther.”

dance from the show, and those who made it to the next round read “Mamma Mia!” scenes to be considered for bigger roles.

“It’s stressful, but … I think the audition process is done well,” junior Ruby Lawrence, who plays lead Sophie Sheridan, said. “It’s very short and generally fun.”

Once informed of their roles, the cast began a rigorous rehearsal schedule. As of publication, almost all of Act One has been blocked and all the music numbers have been at least touched upon.

“Mondays and Tuesdays are dance rehearsals,” senior Laura Ehrlich, the stage manager, said. “Wednesdays and Thursdays are the vocal practices …

Fridays are strictly blocking and dance review rehearsal, and Saturdays are again vocal rehearsals.”

“Mamma Mia!” has a significant fan base that may attract a large audience. However, Lawrence notes that the film franchise spawned by the musical is not exactly the same.

“There are lots more songs in the musical than in the movie,” Lawrence said. “Everyone will recognize it, but there will be notable differences.”

Although the process of putting on a show is demanding, Lawrence and Ehrlich both speak highly of the supportive theatre community that motivates them to continue their involvement.

“At the end of however long, like a month and a half of being together three hours a day everyday, you really, really know the people,” Lawrence said. “That’s where I’ve met a lot of my friends.”